


counting the ways to fall without landing

by duCOQUELICOT



Series: Zutara Week 2020 [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Building Friendships, Building alliances, F/M, The Firebending Masters, The Western Air Temple - Freeform, The lost scenes, Zuko with the Gaang, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2020, regaining trust, the boiling rock, the southern raiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:35:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25609006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duCOQUELICOT/pseuds/duCOQUELICOT
Summary: What if we had gotten more scenes with Zuko and the Gaang before the Comet arrived? Well, this is what that is. A collection of scenes and snippets of everything that happened between "The Western Air Temple" and Zuko's coronation. And maybe something after that, too.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850281
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65
Collections: Zutara Week 2020





	counting the ways to fall without landing

**Author's Note:**

> **when the summer's gone  
>  she'll be there… standing by the light  
> what she's been to where's gone to  
> she should know wrong from right  
> is she feeling - are you feeling  
> you feeling that way too?  
> or am I just, am I just a fool  
>   
> \-- Journey**

_"You know, Prince Zuko, destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday." **  
**_

The memory creeps into his head without warning, and he smiles. If only his uncle could see him now - helping the Avatar defeat the Fire Lord. He _has_ found his own destiny. 

He sits on his bed in the otherwise empty space, turning Iroh's picture over and over in his hands. There's a certain restlessness in his veins, in his muscles. Outside, the afternoon sun casts its long shadows on the inner courtyard of the Western Air Temple. Zuko wouldn't go so far as to call it _home_ , but it does feel as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

A sudden noise comes from the hallway, and he jerks his head towards the door. 

It's _her_.

He gets up immediately, wants to walk towards her, wants to tell her how thankful he is that she's allowed him into their group. He knows, he _knows_ , so much is hanging on her. Aang may be their hero, but she's their blood and bones. Without her, this whole thing would have crumbled apart long ago.

But before one word can cross his lips, she has already taken over.

"You might have everyone else here buying your 'transformation'. But you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past," she says, venom dripping from every word. She walks up to him, leans forward until all he can see are her eyes. Her stare is cold and unforgiving.

"So let me tell you something right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang… and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there… _permanently_."

Zuko from a few months ago would have sneered back, would have tried to find something to hurt her with so he wouldn't have to take care of his own damaged ego. But today's Zuko can't do that. Today's Zuko can only take it all in, these words that puncture holes in his so carefully inflated good mood, his self confidence that is so shaky that if she had pushed just a _little_ harder, he would have collapsed on the floor and hid under the bed like a little boy who's afraid of monsters.

He inhales a cautious breath, so shallow he feels as if he's going to pass out. 

She doesn't wait for an answer. 

When she closes his door behind her, he sinks down on the bed, notices only then how his hands are trembling. He spreads his fingers, curls them into a fist, and spreads them again, trying to keep the blood flowing and to give him something to focus on other than Katara's speech, that is currently hooking itself into his brain.

She has every right to talk to him that way and he knows it. But that doesn't make the hurting go away. And it doesn't prevent him from reliving all his most painful memories in an instant. Katara doesn't know how her words pull dark clouds out of the depths of his mind, storm clouds that tense up the muscles in his jaw and that make his heart beat fast in his throat until he has no saliva left to swallow away. 

His palms are wet and he kneads his tunic until he regains a modicum of normalcy. He's not going to tell her off for talking to him that way, even though Zuko from a few months ago might have stormed after her to demand an apology. He's going to have to take this in stride, to accept that she can hit him where it hurts most. She's not like Azula, she's not trying to crawl under his skin and feed him spoonfuls of self-doubt, just because she likes to see him fall apart from the inside out.

Katara is protecting someone she cares about, someone _he_ hurt. It's up to him to right those wrongs.

As he puts his uncle's picture on the ledge next to the window, he sees the others gather outside. He remembers Sokka saying something about lunch, soon. This must be soon, then.

Should he join them? On the one hand, he _is_ part of their group now. On the other hand, they hate him. 

Except for that little one, whose name he can't remember. She's blunt and straight to the point - a typical earthbender. Zuko from a few months ago would have probably argued with her until he was out of breath. Today's Zuko sighs when he thinks about his own foolishness.

With a flutter in his chest, he tip-toes outside. Maybe he can grab some rice from the pot and sit in a corner. They don't have to talk to him. 

"Zuko," Sokka says, making a face as if trying that name out on his tongue leaves a weird taste in his mouth. 

"...Yes?" 

Is something wrong already? Did Katara change her mind? Are they going to feed him to the bison?

"Come, sit." The little girl is not used to being contradicted.

He complies, walking carefully as if the ground under his feet is laced with traps. When nothing happens and no explosions can be heard, he sits down next to the girl, pulling his legs underneath him.

They eat in silence. 

Zuko presumes this is not the usual state of affairs, but he isn't going to be the one to open his mouth first. He shoves handfuls of rice in his mouth, barely chewing them before swallowing. As long as he focuses on his meal, he's practically invisible.

"So, when are we going to start training?" the young monk asks. 

Now, Zuko is forced to look up. He wipes his hair out of his good eye. Aang has a hesitant look on his face, almost as if he would be fine with it if Zuko would announce he wasn't going to train Aang after all.

"We start tomorrow, at dawn," he replies. 

Sokka stretches his back. "Glad I don't have to learn firebending then," he says with a grin on his face. "Imagine Zuko to be the first person you see after you wake up."

Zuko lowers his eyes and grits his teeth as the others chuckle. In order to prevent himself from saying something stupid, he inhales another mouthful of rice, on which he promptly chokes.

"Gee, Zuko, if you think my cooking is that bad, you could have just said so," Katara deadpans. She looks at him sideways as he coughs violently and tears spring into his eyes.

The earthbender groans. "Could you guys be a little nicer? All this bickering isn't going to help us get along better."

"As if you care about whether we can get along, Toph," Katara says. She gets up to collect the empty rice bowls. 

"Not really," Toph says as she picks some leftover rice grains from between her teeth. "But I'm not looking forward to hearing you guys argue all night while I try to sleep."

"That sounds more like you," Aang says, and he opens his glider. He looks at the boy in the wheelchair, whom Zuko vaguely remembers. There's a fog in his brain that keeps getting thicker. He should probably lie down, or something.

"Teo, do you want to come with me and check out the temple a bit more?"

"Of course! That sounds awesome."

Zuko watches as the Avatar and the boy both make a run for it and throw themselves into the depths. His stomach curdles, but the next moment, they both rise again. He shields his eyes from the sun with his hand as he watches them disappear into the clouds.

When he turns around, everyone seems to have found something to do. Katara is near the fountain, doing the dishes. Toph is lying with her feet up and Sokka is humming a tune while he cleans his boomerang. 

Zuko stands there, empty bowl still in hand, and feels lost.

At long last, he decides to sit next to Katara, albeit at a safe distance. Carefully, he lowers his bowl into the water and uses his fingers to clean the inside from any leftover rice. 

He looks up to see two eyes, blue as the sky on a summer day, giving him a hard stare. Her brow is furrowed, her mouth a thin line. 

She reaches out her arm, palm of her hand upwards.

He hesitates. If he gives her his bowl, will she see it as another sign that he's a good for nothing prince who can only think about himself? Will it seem to her as if he accepts that she is to do all the menial tasks around here? But if he doesn't give her the bowl, will she see it as an act of contumaciousness, and hold him in contempt for that?

No matter how he twists and turns, he can't seem to find the right way to act.

"I'll do it," he says, keeping his voice down because he doesn't want to invite another scolding.

"No you won't. Give me that."

"It's okay, I can do it."

"Are you even listening?" She proceeds to brusquely snatch the bowl out of his hands, her fingernails grazing his skin.

He watches as Katara gives it one more thorough rinse before she bends the water out of it and stacks it with the other utensils.

Before she can protest, he grabs all the clean dishes and brings them back to the kitchen. He has to do _something_ to earn everyone's trust, and this seems like the easiest place to start. Besides, after working in a tea shop for a couple of weeks, this hardly feels like actual work.

"What do you think you're doing?" 

Katara storms after him, steam coming out of her ears. 

"Listen, _Zuko_ , I don't appreciate that you're getting in my way. Find someone else to bother. I don't need your meddling with my work."

Meddling? He's trying to help! What is he supposed to do then?

"Fine, do it yourself," he grumbles and smacks the bowls and utensils in the kitchen sink without looking. He stomps to his room, throwing the door shut behind him.

Only when his head touches his pillow, he realizes he has let his temper get the better of him again. He covers his eyes with his hand, pressing hard. Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

How will he ever make amends with these people?

**Author's Note:**

> As usual: let me know if you loved the story enough to want to see more!


End file.
